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Increasing popularity of chai amongst youngsters. GOOD OR BAD?

If you are born outside Pakistan you might use different snacks at different times and for different purposes. If there are guests in your house, you might present them some fruits or light snacks. If you are watching a movie at home, you can have popcorn or chips. If you are reading a book you might have a cup of coffee, and if you are on a date with your beloved, you might order a cheesecake or something sweet. But, if you are born in Pakistan, the one drink that can fit into all the above situations is chai. We people as a nation are obsessed with chai. At any given situation or circumstance, we can have chai. Be it breakfast, or brunch or late-night snack. Chai would never disappoint you. 

Before getting to the question of why Chai is so popular amongst Pakistani people, we must discuss some history of this magical drink. The invention of the Chai we have today dates back thousands of years perhaps 5000 to 9000 years approximately from China. The very early spice tea masala chai was used as herbal medicine by Buddhist monk, Lu Yu (733-804) but later it evolved in terms of taste and thousands of variations were made to it according to location and choice of the public. That is the reason that chai gained a worldwide fanbase.

There are several variations of tea in the world today, like, herbal tea, green tea, earl gray, British tea or black tea but the kind of tea that is mostly consumed in Pakistan is the traditional milk tea. It has a very delicious enriching flavor. It can refreshen you in matter of seconds. Let us discuss some of the reasons why this drink has overtaken generations and why it is becoming such a sensation over social media. 

The first and foremost of reasons for chai being so popular among youngsters is that it lies in our culture. People are highly addicted to tea, many of them take 3, 4 cups of tea regularly, and the society we are brought up in is addicted to chai. Since most of us from our childhood are having chai in breakfast. We see our parents consuming this drink in such a quantity that we become subconsciously addicted to it. 

Secondly it can help you have a good social life as well. Friends always need a place to sit and have some chit chat or even study. Chai can be uniting force between all these youngsters. We mostly sit over “Pathan k hotel”, whenever we need to meet our friends or have some discussion. It is a cheap and refreshing option to have as a snack. 

Asking someone out is a very difficult process and many people hesitate to break the ice. Chai comes to the rescue once again. If you want to ask someone out, just ask if he/she would like to have a cup of tea with you. If he/she says yes, then a cup of tea would give you enough time to get to know each other. 

Beside all these social benefits of chai, there are several health benefits of chai too. We use chai as the morning drink because it helps us wake up and be active; we have tea on nights when we have to work, for the same reason. It helps improve our digestion, especially if you use ginger or other spices with tea. It can remove acnes and pain; it can improve our immune system and may help our heart function better. 

Chai has lots of benefits but some disadvantages as well. If used in huge quantity the biggest problem that arises with higher consumption of tea is the added sugar calories. The traditional Pakistani chai contains a whole lot of calories. A normal of cup of tea contains about 60 to 100 calories, mostly sugar and unsaturated fats, which are not good for our health. One of the main reasons behind the increasing number of diabetes cases in Pakistan could be the enormous consumption of tea across the country.

Any food used in limited or appropriate quantity is good for health and excess of anything is harmful for our bodies. Chai is a delicious and refreshing drink, but it is recommended to have it without sugar. Having one cup of tea is fine. But having 3,4 cups would surely have harmful consequences. Youngsters should be aware of this situation and choose what is best for them and their health.